Shucked Off Work For South America Adventures

[Sun Chaser]

Richard C. Livermore and I had spent months planning the second leg of The Great Around The World Adventure Rally Great Around The World Motorcycle Adventure Rally. The clock was ticking louder each day and neither of us were getting any younger. More planning was going to find one or both of us planned out of completing our global romp whether through being waylaid by work, wild wimmins, failing health, unstable personal economics or changing priorities. One of us said, “Take this work and shove it, I ain’t doing this no more,” and a departure date was set for South America.

The motorcycles were crated in Miami and funds paid for them to be delivered by air cargo to Bogota, Colombia, an adventure for the boxed motorcycles that found them caught up in holiday delays and bureaucratic paperwork.

The Customs officials in Bogota finally allowed the crated motorcycles to be released on January 4, 2016. At the air cargo shipping warehouse the $300.00 crates were broken down and collected by a recycler. AR 01

A previous accident in the warehouse with reportedly a motorcycle being dropped meant that our two motorcycles had to be rolled, dead engine, out of the air cargo receiving area through the front people entry doors and down a flight of stairs. This was likened to a field test for both Livermore and me. We recorded perfect scores for not dropping our motorcycles as the lower engine cases and center stands scraped the stairs which tested our ability not to be over zealous and apply too much front brake causing the front wheels to wash out. A bit of dabbing was required but the onlookers cheered our success. AR 02

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES AND KISS THE GROUND!

Some last minute equipment preparation and clothing modifications were done before the official Start at noon on January 5.

AR 03: I decided to personalize my Aerostich Darien riding jacket using a local artist to design a painting on the back. The price for the work by artist Juan Salinas was $10.00, a deal for both of us.

Once on the road we immediately noticed how slovenly the more overloaded motorcycle handled and that evening began discarding items that were too large, too heavy or too unneeded. Livermore, far more overloaded than me and a coffee aficionado, transferred from his luggage to mine a small cooking stove, funnel for gas to take it from our fuel tanks to fire up the stove, and a coffee pot. Although not heavy, combined the items took up nearly a cubic foot of my pannier space. AR 04

AR 05 shows how to take a selfie without carrying the added weight of a selfie stick - use a mirrored window at a gas station.

Over the next several days we left a trail of discarded items from Bogota, Colombia to Quito, Ecuador, things like sweat shirts, jeans, books and by accident a camera battery charger with the battery still being charged while plugged into a hotel room wall socket. However, one of the two of us steadfastly held on to his supply of four rolls of super soft toilet paper, arguing that it weighed little and squeezed into a small space.


The learning curve for handling Livermore's more overloaded motorcycle was quite steep the first days. One of us became familiar with the need to keep the other within a close distance to help him pick up his downed motorcycle, once three times in one day, a long day. A third entrant from Ecuador that would rabbit ahead of us would ask when we would catch up and all had stopped if one of us had "kissed Mother Earth again?” thus explaining the main reason why we had not kept up with his speed. It was funny in a sense, unless you were the one who was kissing the ground.


The entrant from Ecuador asked of Livermore's motorcycling skills, "He's not a very good motorcyclist is he, falling down as much as he does?"


The answer was, "He is if you ask him, as I did numerous times of his experience and capabilities. I just hope he does not take me out when he goes down in the future or I have to eventually send him back to the States is a pine box. I've watched him crash numerous times through pilot error on two continents now."


AR 06, AR 07 and AR 08 shows some entrants "kissing the ground."

A not-so-lucky motorcyclist kissed the wall when forced off the pavement by an oncoming vehicle in photo below - RIP AR 09.


RIDING CONDITIONS

The riding conditions varied from smooth blacktop to ugly slick uphill mud. In between were bombed out potholed sections under repair, sand covered corners and loose gravel. One section, between Loya, Ecuador and Macara, we opted for the mountain road versus the boring Pan American Highway, an option few motorcycle travelers going north or south choose to take preferring the well paved highway. What had been on a previous trip a three hour broken pavement section had become a seven hour Road To Hades. Road construction had long sections, sometimes 10-20 kilometers, chewed up and in various stages of repair. Added to the stress of trying to keep the wallowing GL650s upright in loose gravel, deep dirt, sand and mud was a thick fog, sometimes so thick we could only see 50-100 feet ahead. Our limited vision was good for the one of us who has a fear of heights. In the thick fog he could not see down the 1,000 foot drop offs on either side of the mountain ridge road. AR 10 shows the fog bank we were about to drive into.

After completing the bad section one of us called it the worst road he had ever taken. The other called it a test to see how the two of us would handle possible similar sections over the next 9,000 miles. We both agreed to not needing any more stress and driving skill tests like that.

Along the coast of Peru the Pan American Highway passed through long stretches of sand desert. While the pavement was good, high side winds and blowing sand could make holding the lightened Hondas upright a tiring task, so we began limiting our days to 250-350 miles from 9:00 AM until 4:00-5:00 PM, at which time we would start our hunt for safe haven hotels, hostels or as a last option, the short-time love motels that rented rooms on an hourly basis, but any/all needing Internet access.

Next episode to follow.

[Sun Chaser]

AR 11 shows wind blowing sand that scrubbed off rear tire rubber faster than was planned when purchasing cheap rear tires as well as filled any opening in our outer wear.

Urban traffic was always a test of driving stress levels. Often the main highway would go directly through the middle of towns, sometimes twisting and turning without the benefit of street or road signs. AR 12 gives a taste of South American urban adventure riding.

Livermore, the far more technical of us two, had been living by his GPS, which died in Colombia. I told him to buy a shovel and we'd bury it, but he held on to his investment, possibly hoping some lightning bolt from cyber space would bring it back to life. A map program he had downloaded to one of his two smart telephones would often show him the way through the ugliness of some urban areas, but my free AAA paper map of the Caribbean, Central and South America for the third time in South America became my trusted route finder.

MEETING OTHER TRAVELERS

My first trip down the western side of South America was nearly 20 years ago. At that time to see another motorcycle traveler was rare, and when we saw each other we would stop and trade tales and information. The Internet, digital technology and electronic gizmos have seemingly caused that camaraderie of the road to disappear. Over the first 3,000 miles south during this journey it was the exception rather than the rule that fellow motorcycle travelers would stop, some not even bothering to wave as they passed in the opposite direction, possibly because they saw that Livermore and I were not driving one of the modern motorcycle SUV models.

AR 13 was when we met a couple from Colombia traveling two-up on a 200cc motorcycle, a traveler from Ecuador on a BMW and a third from Peru on a 125cc Honda. Pictured here we had traded stickers and road tales at the border of Colombia and Ecuador.

Also quite common, unlike 20 years earlier, were the numerous motorcycle tour companies leading groups up and down the highways or riders on large displacement rental motorcycles from rental companies in Colombia, Ecuador or Peru.

AR 14 shows how we thought we were over loaded until we met Roger Kersch from North Carolina. Underneath his pile of travel gear, which included two spare tires, was a 2006 Buell. Photographed here in Quito, he lightened his load by giving me his paper map of Peru. He was headed north and we were headed south, so he no longer needed the map.

I discovered I was meeting more local motorcycle travelers and motorcyclists than foreigners on their own motorcycles or those of rental companies. We were an oddity and the local motorcyclists were interested in knowing about our 33 year-old Hondas, a motorcycle they were unfamiliar with versus the many BMWs and Japanese models they saw passing through their countries, as well as the Harley-Davidsons. The most often asked questions were, “How old, how many cc’s, how much horsepower, what was the cost,” and once, “what weight engine oil?” I finally had printed a small fact sheet to hand out with the Honda year, model, displacement, horsepower and a link to our blog www.rtwmotorcycleadventurerally.blogspot.com and an email address.

Another difference I noted from my first trip to South America was how more “sticker crazy” the South Americans had become. In 1998 some clubs or groups would give me stickers or affix them to my motorcycle. In 2016 trading business cards has become like the 8 track tape player, appreciated but rare. The modern motorcycle travelers traded stickers. For this leg of our journey we had printed stickers with a small motorcycle graphic, the name “Great Around The World Motorcycle Rally” and the link to our blog and there is a copy of the sticker opening the blog. We both also give out business cards with our personal information like name and email addresses, but clearly our stickers were far more sought after and appreciated.

SOME MOTORCYCLE STATISTICS FROM OUR ROUTE

According to a news release (www.aemoto.com) published in 2015 from 2014 registrations, 49.75% of all registered motor vehicles in Colombia were motorcycles and explained why we saw so many, but due to high import taxes most were under 200cc. Peru came in second with 42.20%, again most small displacement. In Ecuador motorcycles constituted 21.63%.

High import taxes made large displacement motorcycles often twice as expensive, or more, than comparable prices in the United States. While we saw a few large displacement motorcycle travelers from these countries, most often the local travelers were on smaller displacement motorcycles, still with the same thirst for travel and seeking adventure, just not the deep pockets needed to afford the large displacement imports.

We took a rally break in Quito and I visited the only motorcycle rider training school in Ecuador; the Escula De Motociclismo (www.escuelademotos.com) .The institute also offered training in motorcycle mechanics. The principal of the school, Ricardo Rocco Paz, explained the great need for both forms of training in Ecuador. The institute, which was in the process of moving to a new and larger facility, had a well maintained fleet of rider training motorcycles and professional rider training and mechanic instructors. It was interesting to note that many of the training techniques had been adopted from schools offering similar training in the United States.

AR 15 Ricardo Rocco Paz, pictured here, is a well known and respected motorcycle activist and principal of the only motorcycle rider training and mechanic training institute in Ecuador.

AR 16 shows The Motorcycle School and Academy of Mechanics in Quito, the only such institute for motorcycle riders and mechanics in Ecuador. It was interesting to see how the training compared to that available in the USA.

AR 17 is the nice lady described as “The Big Boss” at the Escula De Motociclismo, She made me want to sign-up for both their rider and mechanic training programs.

BUMPS IN THE ROAD AND ELECTRICAL LEARNING CURVE

The foam in the seat of my 33 year-old Honda had hardened with age. I had field tested my well used Airhawk seat before leaving for South America. After three days of speed bumps, pot holes, road dips and off-road riding the seam of the Airhawk gave out and blew a small hole. That night I made a repair, which lasted until a second hole opened. Another repair only resulted in third blow out. Finally I gave up and looked for some replacement, finally settling on a hot water bottle found in a local department store. That fix lasted another eight days until it also blew a seam and the water leaked out and into my Gortex covered back end. Another shopping adventure found an inflatable pillow, which was holding after five more days. I was learning to think outside of the box when it came to not being an Ironbutt but rather a Softbutt on a hard seat.

AR 18 shows my attempt at an “on the road replacement” for the blown Airhawk seat was thought to be a thick hot water bottle costing $2.00, which proved not to be the fix I had hoped it would be when it too blew a hole and soaked my Gortex covered back side.

My learning curve regarding the 220 volts of South American electricity quickly flattened out after I mixed up the sequence for hot water in a hotel shower. The shower head was attached to a small electric heater. The prescribed sequence for streaming a hot water flow out of the shower head was stand outside the shower on the tiles and 1) turn On the one cold water knob on the wall, to start water flowing through the heating unit and out the shower head, 2) switch On the electric switch to start the electricity flowing through the heating unit, 3) adjust the rate of flow of water through the shower head flow to low for hot and higher for lower temperature, 4) step into the shower and wash without touching the shower head or flow knob on the wall, and 5) when done with the shower, step outside the stall, turn Off the electricity, and then reach inside and shut Off the water flow.

While I was washing off the road dust from one dusty day of travel I was thinking about the 33 year-old rear suspension on my Honda GL650 and how much weight I was carrying. When done washing I reached to the water flow knob to turn off the water while still standing in the shower and on top of the metal drain. 15 amps of 220 volts straitened my motorcycle adventuring curly short hairs, reminding me that I was traveling through South America and not through 110 volt, 100% all the time hot water friendly North America.


AR 19 is the 15 amp, 220 volt shower head that gave me an unfriendly South American jolt when I mixed up the electric and water sequence. I should have also noted the most excellent wiring attachment: wires twisted together and covered in black plastic electrical tape, a short time fix not a long time repair.

WHERE NEXT?

Our route will take us through the Atacama Desert, down through the length of Chile, across the Andes into Patagonia and then back north to Buenos Aires, Argentina, another 5,000 miles.

[Sun Chaser]

We left the sands of Peru, only to find more sand in Chile. Departing Peru was an easy twenty minutes of paperwork that entailed standing in a short line for an exit stamp in our passports, and then handing over our Temporary Import Permits to the Customs officials.

Entering Chile was more time consuming, taking nearly an hour. We had to work our way up to the window for Immigration officials to log us into Chile and stamp our passports, and then they gave us a small white piece of stamped paper, which we were told, “Not lose. Give at border when leave Chile.” The next step was at the Customs window entering our motorcycles into the Chile Temporary Import computer system, securing another document to hand over when we exited Chile, and then unloading our strapped soft bags and sending them through a scanner. Total time exiting Peru and entering Chile was nearly two hours.

CA 01 photo below was as we entered Chile, passing a long line of vehicles at the border waiting to exit Chile and enter Peru. We noticed the sands of Chile had not differed from the sands of Peru.

CA 02 is a photo of the giant hand in the desert of Chile that had seen me twice before in the last 20 years, each time on a different motorcycle, and each time tagging it with a similar photograph but different camera.

CA 03 was the stunning scenery along the northern coast of Chile marked endless miles of the stark contrast between desert and salt water.

CA 04 photo below shows an interesting array of stickers on the windows of a gas station, most of which were from motorcycle travelers or clubs. An empty space beckoned me to apply our own stickers, which we did, much like male dogs leaving their mark.

CA 05 shows me following a motorcycle begged the question, “What is that on the right side of the motorcycle?” The answer was two (not one) surfboards!

CA 06 is Ioane Langemak from Hawaii, who is circling the globe on his Alaska purchased1983 BMW R65 motorcycle with his surfing gear, including a wet suit. He was rolling proof that we can all chase our dreams, his being to ride waves around the world while traveling by motorcycle.

WHERE DID ALL THE MOTORCYCLES GO?

Immediately upon entering Chile we noticed the absence of the many small displacement motorcycles we had seen in Peru. Whereas in Peru it was reported in 2014 that 42.20% of all registered motor vehicles were motorcycles, and most under 200cc, Chile had only 3.09%, and most we saw were larger displacement models.

Another indicator of the economic differences between the countries were the standards of the gas stations, Chile having much more modern facilities which often included mini-markets and coffee houses.

The quality of the road system was also superior, often bypassing cities rather than going through them. While the sand, beaches and ocean were the same, the accommodations at the seaside cities had moved upscale, and were accordingly more expensive. Seemingly a hotel in Peru that cost $50.00 per night would be $75.00 in Chile.

AN UNSCHEDULED PIT STOP

Upon entering Chile we noticed the inexpensive rear tires on both of our motorcycles had worn down significantly, far faster than Livermore had been anticipated. The front tires were fine, but the rear tires would be bald and squared by the time we reached Patagonia in Argentina. There the possibility of finding 16 inch tires the size we needed would be close to zero, likely having to be shipped from Buenos Aires to where we were at great expense and including the down time waiting for them. We made a decision to stop in Santiago and try to find the tires we needed in that large urban city rather than take chances of losing time and costing considerably more as we moved further south and then crossed into Argentina.

A late afternoon telephone call in Santiago to the Ride-Chile www.ride-chile.com motorcycle tour and rental company found the two owners, Tomas Karstegl and Mick Hoy, able to meet our needs overnight. The next morning we went to their shop where we collected two new tires. While we could have used their work shop space to change the tires, we opted to carry them on the back of our motorcycles (adding 30 lbs. weight) for the next two days knowing that most of the riding would be on fine paved Chile road surfaces, and while doing so we could burn off the last miles of the old tires.

CA 07 shows part of the secret enclave behind the team of Ride-Chile, Tomas Karstegl and Mick Hoey, “rent, ride, tour and repair” motorcycle specialists in Santiago, Chile.

CA 08 shows Livermore putting in time at the end of another long riding day to keep huis motorcycle maintained, pictured here repairing a wind shield that had broken in half when he dropped it, not a part easily replaced in Chile, or anywhere else in South America. With no support crew or spare parts vehicle following us, wires, pliers, clear tape, cable ties and Livermore’s determination and creativity kept us on schedule.

An overnight stop in Orsono found us on the door step the next morning at the headquarters of MotoAventura Chile www.motoaventurachile.cl where they managed walk through 10-20 customers starting a guided tour, and two other walk-ins while getting our Hondas in/out of their workshop with the new tires installed in less than two hours.

During the two hours we had a chance to meet some of their departing customers that included riders from Spain, Germany and the USA. I traded stories and updated our information about gas availability in Patagonia with one of their tour guides I had previously met in Alaska. Before they left the guide offered us any assistance we might need as we were following the same route into Argentina and down the east side of the Andes. As their departure dust settled we slowly started re-packing our motorcycles, now shod with new rear tires and 30 lbs lighter, wondering if we would see the group again.

CA 09 shows the guided tour group as they preparing to leave headquarters at MotoAventura Chile in Orsono when we made our hasty pit stop for a tire change. We would catch up with them twice over the next days, our 33 year-old motorcycles being the turtles to their team of rabbit-like modern adventure model motorcycles. The first time was at Immigration for exiting Chile. One of the customers had lost the small piece of stamped white paper given to them as they entered Chile, the one we were told “Not lose.” As they were traveling in an organized group, the entire group was stalled at the border while the guide schmoozed the customer’s lost piece of paper away. The second time we caught up with them was when we were nearly turned away at the Argentine border because Livermore and I did not have another needed piece of paper, a true adventure in paperwork best laughed at instead of embarrassingly recounted here.

CA 10 reflects a happier time earlier in the days as Livermore and I, both motorheads not confined to two wheels, taking time out from our motorcycling to wander through Studebaker car museum.


Next - On to Patagonia

[Sun Chaser]

CA 11 is the sign on the top of the pass between Chile and Argentina. We “stickered” the sign, noting others had done the same.

INTO PATAGONIA, NOT DOWN AND OUT

CA 12 Pictured in the next image below of the empty of PatagoniaI describe as "The Mindless Zone." Passing through it always gives my mind an opportunity to empty the trash bin on my cranial hard drive.

CA 13 is an image unique to Patagonia, memorials like this one. I often stopped to replace wind-blown water bottles and peer into the small house at the end. Sometimes I would find candles burning, meaning someone had stopped recently before me.

SOME THOUGHTS ON MOTORCYCLES IN SOUTH AMERICA

I have always found interesting and unique motorcycles in South America, whether being driven or hidden away in a private museum. Oftentimes owners have spent years preparing their motorcycles for what they expect to find as road conditions, while others simply use what they have or mix and match what they can cob together.

CA 14 Below was a BMW from South Africa that looked exceptionally wide, possibly the widest I had ever seen. Protective shells around the outside of the rear panniers explained the added width. CA 15 The owner had constructed protection completely around his rear panniers. The added width would add some security if the motorcycle went down on its side if the pilot could keep his feet on the pegs. Splitting lanes in traffic would be a downside, making lane splitting nearly impossible.

The drips below the next BMW photograph CA 16 below, was from a blown rear shock absorber on a new BMW and reminded me of having the same happen to me in Africa on a 1981 BMW R80G/S and then asking myself, “Does anything really change?”

CA 17 Sandra Kaper waves as husband Javier drives his “bits of this and bits of that” Kawasaki KLR650, bits having come from two of my acquaintances' KLRs gifted as parts over the last 10 years, plus the rear panniers off a 1983 Honda GL650 I had left at his shop in 2006.

A “run what you brung” was the planning behind another couple from Argentina. CA 18 shows them, two-up on a 200cc Honda Tornado, headed for Ushuaia. They traded their sticker for ours, theirs reading ‘RUEDAS CALIENTES – PASCANAS CBA.


WHERE NEXT?

CA 19 shows me near the end of the second stage of The Great Around The World Motorcycle Adventure Rally, Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I displayed the banner that had previously been carried around the world during the Clancy Centenary Ride celebrating 100 years of global circumnavigation by motorcyclists. We are carrying it in a second global loop.

We will make another scheduled extended pit stop to deal with equipment changes as neither of 1983 Honda GL650s will be used for the next leg of ‘RTW Adventure Rally, Africa, due to the high cost of shipping, import restrictions and taxes. Both Honda’s found happy resting places in South America. We also must again massage our budget for the time in Africa. During the pit stop one of us will officially retire from the work force while the other will continue to be a motorcycle adventure seeking wastrel.

The last image is our sticker. We left a trail of them through South America, trading them with other travelers, stickering signs, windows, motorcycles or entry ways, or giving them away, nearly 500 somewhere along to road.

[Sun Chaser]

For one of the two life on the road and the road ahead became too much, they failed in their attempt to "girdle the globe," quit, and hopped back to the security of their home in America. He abandoned his riding partner in Africa, much like Carll Stearns Clancy was abandoned by his riding partner in France in 1913.


When Clancy was abandoned, at 22 years of age, he chose to man-up, meet his commitments and soldier on alone, becoming the first man to circle the globe on a motorcycle.


To see how one of two global adventurers in this thread chose to meet his commitments and soldier on alone from Africa where he was abandoned, the story is free (not going to be rolled into a book) and complete at www.greataroundtheworldmotorcycleadventurerally.co m


Dr. Gregory W. Frazier
Professional Motorcycle Adventurer/Indian Motorcycle Racer